Living in a ‘Little’ Big City
I live on a tiny island of green, surrounded on all sides by bricks and asphalt. The urban landscape of a little big city. Every where you go there are sidewalks and traffic lights, graffiti and billboards, not a thing left untouched by human hands. And yet, even here, nature can be found and appreciated. Although, I must admit, it’s not always pretty… or easy to find.
The chicory flowering unabashedly by the roadside. The dandelion showing its yellow face from the cracks in the concrete. The shade from a large ginkgo tree tucked above a stone retaining wall. A squirrel squawking away from the power line overhead. A trio of turkey vultures circling on columns of warm air.
It turns out, Eleanor Roosevelt was right when she said, “life is what you make it.” That you see what you want to see. If you look for nature you will find it, even in the most unexpected places. (Even in Cincinnati, Ohio – which, to be fair, actually has a lot of parks and green spaces to offer, as well as a large conservatory of exotic plants, but none of that compares to living on the family farm!)
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
A Country Mouse
I must admit living in a city has challenged me on more than one occasion. In fact, it is more like a constant weight hanging over me, I am just not cut out for it. However, I realized that no matter where I am, if nothing else, I always have the sky. Oddly enough, that thought brought me a great deal of solace and I latched onto with all my might. Allow me to explain.
As a person who craves the untamed spaces of nature, the shade of old trees, and cool green grass under my feet, it was the sky and its wild beauty that saved my me from the city (with the help of some amazing sunset views and a healthy dose of gratitude). I think this is at least part of the reason why I started paying more attention to the weather and the lunar cycles. I was desperately trying to hold on to a little bit of nature in any way I could (as a person with chronic illness my ability to leave the house was often very limited at times because of my health).
Even if I am surrounded by buildings and my only connection with the natural world is looking out the window, the sun and the moon set a steady reassuring rhythm. The most ancient of ancient clocks that can always be relied upon. No pesticide can kill it. No loss of habitat can make it go extinct. My illness could not take it away from me. Point being, regardless of where you live, you can always observe astronomical phenomena and weather too, even if it’s only via a phone app.
Seasonal Awareness
All of that to say this, sometimes it can be hard to find, but nature is always there if you go looking for it. It just takes a moment, a gentle intention, and the act of returning to observation, the “art of noticing”. Eventually, or perhaps from the very start, this way of ‘looking’ goes with you everywhere and you begin to notice things you hadn’t before. These bits of beauty that are often overlooked become little daily treasures, each one helping to fill your cup.
For me, this is what it means to have seasonal awareness. You make time to notice small details in the world around you each day. This in turn allows us to be more present, more connected, and more fulfilled. To live a slower and happier life.
The Inaka Journal on “Kisetsukan“, or “a sense of the seasons,” sums it up nicely, “Kisetsukan is more than just acknowledging the seasons, it’s a way of living in harmony with nature and appreciating the present moment”. They go on to say that, “By attuning ourselves to the seasons, whether in Japan or elsewhere, we invite a greater sense of presence and gratitude into our lives.1“
“Gratitude for the turning of the seasons. May we attune our hearts to their enduring message of renewal.”
– Kristin Granger
